The invention concerns a severing apparatus for severing a string of pasty foodstuff material, in particular of meat or doughs, into individual portions, comprising a movable and drivable severing knife having a knife edge, and at least one preferably stationary shear bar associated with the severing knife. The invention further concerns an apparatus for shaping and conveying foodstuff products of pasty material.
Severing apparatuses are known in the state of the art, which are used for severing or subdividing a string of for example meat or doughs into individual portions. The portions, consisting of in particular pasty foodstuff materials, are usually discharged immediately after the severing operation for subsequent further processing or for direct packaging thereof, by means of downstream-disposed conveyor devices.
Such known severing apparatuses for severing, for example, an endless string of pasty foodstuff material have a movable and drivable severing knife having a knife edge and at least one counterpart cutter or shear bar which is associated with the severing knife and by means of which the foodstuff materials to be severed are supported from below and are moved against the driven severing knife. That makes the operation of severing or dividing the individual portions from the preferably continuously produced endless string of foodstuff material easier. The severing knives used usually have an elongated knife blade with a straight cutting edge or a knife blade which is curved in relation to the direction of movement of the severing knife and which has a cutting edge which is shaped convexly in the longitudinal direction of the knife blade.
For cutting or subdividing a string of pasty foodstuff material into individual portions, the severing knives known from the state of the art are moved with their straight or convexly shaped knife blade on a circular path around an axis of rotation. In that case, the rotating knife blade is frequently oriented substantially perpendicularly to the string of pasty foodstuff material. When the individual foodstuff portions are being produced, difficulties often occur during the severing operation using the known severing knives when cutting the string into individual portions.
In the case of severing knives with a straight knife blade which have a substantially straight cutting edge, the cutting action at the material to be subdivided is relatively slight. That means that, after prolonged use with such straight severing knives, untidy cuts sometimes occur as frequently residues of the foodstuff material to be subdivided are deposited at the cutting edge of the knife blade. Severing knives with convexly shaped cutting edges have a markedly improved cutting action because residues on the knife blade are avoided. However, in the severing operation, the severing knife with the convexly shaped cutting edge emerges laterally from the string of material to be cut, whereby the product is torn apart at the side where the severing knife issues. To avoid that, lateral guides are provided for the string to be subdivided. Aligning the guides is relatively adjustment-intensive. In addition, after a certain period of time, the guides have to be repeatedly freed of deposits of the foodstuff material which has been moved therepast.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide a severing apparatus for severing a string, by means of which the above-indicated disadvantages are avoided and in addition simplified severing is possible. In a severing apparatus of the above-indicated general kind, the foregoing object of the invention is attained in that the knife edge of the severing knife has a cutting edge which is at least portion-wise concavely curved in the longitudinal direction of the knife edge.